Control mechanism



United States Patent a [54] CONTROL MECHANISM 7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl. 98/94, 62/262: 74/47l F25d 17/00 [72] Inventors [5i] Int. Cl. [50] Field of Search [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,801,582 8/1957 Kuhlenschmidt 98/94 3,117,465 1/1964 Eiermann 74/471 3,194,028 7/1965 Bell 62/262 Primary ExaminerMeyer Perlin AttorneyTalburtt and Baldwin ABSTRACT: A rotatable plate connected by wires to two doors of an air conditioning device. A slide is connected to the plate by two links which cross one another and extend into slots in the plate. The links cause the plate to rotate when the slide moves in a straight line.

CONTROL MECHANISM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to operating mechanisms, and more particularly to an operating mechanism for operating two separate devices which must be operated independently of one another, such as two separate air doors in an air-conditioning unit, for example.

In an air-conditioning unit, such as a room air-conditioning unit, for example, there is normally a provision made for introducing outside air into the room being airconditioned, as well as exhausting stale air from the room. The exhausting of room air and the introduction of outside air is accomplished by means of two separate air passages extending through the unit between the room and the ambient. These passages are selectively opened and closed by doors adapted to be moved between open and closed positionsA control mechanism is provided in the unit for selectively opening and closing the doors. It is necessary that the control mechanism be adapted to operate the doors in the two passages so that both doors are not open at the same time. There are mechanisms for accomplishing such door action. However, many of such mechanisms are complicated andrelatively expensive. The present invention obviates many of the disadvantages of known mechanisms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly, the control mechanism of this invention comprises a rotatable member connected to two doors, and a slide control connected to the member by two links for causing opening of the doors independently of one another.

One of the primary objects of this invention is to provide a control mechanism for operating two devices, such as two doors in air passages in an air-conditioning unit, independently of one another and in such fashion that only one device or door can be operated at a time. Another object of this invention is to provide control mechanism such as described in which only one lever is utilizedfor controlling the movement of both devices.

A further object of this invention is to provide a control mechanism, and particularly door operating mechanism which is economical in construction and efficient in operation.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be made apparent as the description progresses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, in which two of several various embodiments of this invention are illustrated,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a control mechanism constructed in accordance with this invention, the mechanism being shown in connection with air-conditioning doors, certain parts being broken away and removed for clarity; I

FlG. 2 is an end view of the mechanism, certain parts being broken away and removed for clarity;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are similar to FIG. 1 showing the mechanism in two different positions; and 7,

FIGS. 5 and 6 are fragmentary plan views illustrating an alternative embodiment of this invention.

Like parts are indicated by corresponding reference characters throughout the several views of thedrawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, a unit for controlling the movement of two doors in an air-conditioning unit is generally indicated at l in FIG. 1. It includes a support or housing 3 preferably formed of sheet metal. Housing 3 includes a top 5, end walls 7 and 9, and a front lip or wall portion 11. Walls 7 and 9 are provided with flanges for facilitating connection of housing 3 to an air air-conditioning unit 17.

Doors or controllable members for opening and closing two air passages are schematically illustrated at 19 and 21. The air passages may be the intake passage and the exhaust passage, for example. Biasing means, such as springs 23 and 25 are provided for biasing the doors toward a closed position. Cables or wires 27 and 29 are respectively connected to doors 19 and 21 and extend through tubular guides 31 and 33 attached to wall 7 by fastening assemblies 35.

Wires 27 and 29 are adapted to be moved into housing 3 by a control mechanism 37. Control mechanism 37 includes a control plate 39 rotatably attached to top 5 by a bushing and connector assembly 41. Plate 39 has two generally parallel elongated slots 43 and 45 on opposite sides of bushing 41. Wires 27 and 29 have bearing members 47 and 49 on the inner ends thereof slideably mounted in slots 43 and 47, respectively. The bearing members have enlarged sides 51 and 53 (see FIG. 2) located onopposite sides of plate 39 to keep the bearing member in the slots 43 and 45. Each slot 43 and 15 has an enlarged portion 55 and 57, respectively, at one end thereof through which the respective bearing member 47 or 49 is passed during assembly of the mechanism. As will be made apparent, after the mechanism is assembled and is placed in operation, the bearing members 47 and 49 are never moved intoenlarged portions 55 and 57. When both doors l9 and 21 are in a closed position, the bearing members 47 and 49 are adjacent ends 59 and 61 of slots 43 and 45.

When plate 39 is moved from the position shown in FIG. 1

' to the position shown in FIG. 3, the bearing member 47 is in engagement with the end 59 of slot 43 and is moved to the FIG. 3 position, pulling wire 27 with it as it moves and causing door 19 to be opened. Meanwhile, bearing member 49 stays in approximately the same position as shown in FIG. 1, and the edges of slot 45 slide past the bearing member. When the plate 39 is moved from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 4, bearing member 49, wire 29 and the door 21 are moved while bearing member 47 remains substantially in its FIG. 1 position.

i A control slide member 63 is slidably mounted in a slot 65 extending across the front lip 11. Pivotally connected to the portion of slide located inside housing 3 are two links 67 and 69 which are offset from one another and cross as they extend away from the slide 63. The outer end of arm 67 has a bearing member 71 slideably received in a slot 73 in plate 39, while the outerend of arm 69 has a bearing member 75 received in a slot 75 in plate 39. When the plate 39 and slide 63 are in the positions shown in FIG. 1, the bearing member 71 is against one end-79 of slot 73 and the bearing member 75 is against one end 81 ofslot 77.

Movement of slide 63 to the right as viewed in FIG. 1 causes the bearing member 75 on link 69 to push the plate 39 in a counterclockwise direction. Movement of slide 63 to the left causes the bearing member 71 to push the plate in a clockwise direction.

Assuming the apparatus is in the position shown in FIG. 1, operation of such apparatus is as follows:

To open door 19, the slide 63 is moved to the left as viewed in FIG. 1 until the slide reaches the position shown in FIG. 3. As the slide 63 moves, a force is exerted through link 67 and bearing member 71 against the end 79 of slot 73 thereby causing the plate 39 to rotate clockwise. As the plate 39 rotates, the end 59 of slot 43, which is in engagement with the bearing 47, causes the latter and wire 27 to be pulled to the right, thereby opening door19. The bearing 49 merely slides in slot 45 as the plate 39 moves from the FIG. 1 position to the FIG. 3 position, and thus, door 21 is kept in a closed position by spring 25. The bearing member 75 also slides in slot 77 since the link 69 is moved to the left as the slide 63 moves.

When the slide 63 is in the position shown in FIG. 3, the link 67 assumes a position which is slightly less than perpendicular to the path of travel of the slide. In this position, the force exerted by spring 23 on door 19, wire 27 and plate 39 is applied by the end 79 of slot 73 on member 71 in a direction which is generally and primarily directed along the length of link 67. Since this force applied through link 67 on slider can move, the slider does not move. on slider 63 is generally perpendicular to the direction the slider can move, the slider does not move. The mechanism is effectively locked, but as made apparent hereinafter, this locked condition can be easily overcome manually. The bearing member 75 on link 69 is adjacent the end of slot 77 opposite end 81 when the mechanism is in the FIG. 3 position.

To unlock the mechanism, when the latter is in the FIG. 3 position, the slide 63 is moved manually to the right. This causes the acute angle between the direction in which the link 67 extends and the direction in which the slide is moving to decrease, i.e., the link 67 swings counterclockwise relative to the slide. As the link swings in this direction, it is no longer in a locking position and the force exerted on plate 59 by spring 23 causes the plate to rotate counterclockwise, thus applying a force on slide 63, through link 67, which drives the slide back to its FIG. 1 position. When the door 19 reaches a closed position, the spring 23 can no longer exert any force'on the plate 39 and movement thereof stops.

Movement of the slide from its FIG. 1 position to the position shown in FIG. 4 causes the link 69 to rotate the plate 39 counterclockwise due to the engagement of bearing member 75 with the end 81 of slot 77. This causes wire 29 to open door 21. The bearing member 47 merely slides in slot 43 as the plate rotates counterclockwise. When the door 21 reaches the fully open position, the link 69 is generally perpendicular to the direction of movement of slide 63 and the door is releaseably held or locked in an open position. If the slide is moved slightly to the left from its FIG. 4 position, the spring 25 will return the plate 39, slide 63 and door 21 to their FIG. 1 positions.

Rather than provide the wires 27 and 29 with bearing mem bers 47 and 49 on their ends which slide in slots 43 and 45, the plate 39 may be provided with holes 83 (FIG. therein adjacent the positions where the slots 43 and 45 would normally be located. When the plate 39 is moved from its FIG. 1 position to its FIG. 4 position, for example, the wire 27 merely slides through the hole as shown in FIG. 6. Since the wire 27 is flexible, it bends as the position of the hole 83 moves from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. 6. If the plate 39 is moved from the FIG. 1 position to the FIG. 3 position, the end 85 of wire 27 is prevented from passing through the hole 83 and the wire is pulled to the right, thereby opening the door 19. Wire 29 may be connected to plate 39 in a similar manner.

It will be seen that the mechanism of the invention permits control of two devices, such as doors, for example, independently of one another with a single sliding control element. While the mechanism is shown in connection with two doors, it will be understood that it could be utilized to operate other devices.

In view of the foregoing it will be seen that the several objects and other advantages are achieved.

Although only one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed and described, it is apparent that other embodiments and modifications of the invention are possible.

We claim:

l. A control mechanism comprising a support, a control member rotatably connected to said support, first and second controllable members each movable between a first and second position, means connecting said first and second controllable members to said rotatable control member, a slide mounted on said support for sliding movement in one direction between a first position and a second position and in another direction, between said first position and a third position, and a pair of links extending between said slide and said control member, one of said links causing said control member to rotate in one direction when said slide is moved from its first position to its second position, said control member, when moved in said one direction, causing said means connecting said first controllable member to said control member to move said first controllable member from its first position towards its second position, the other of said links causing said control member to rotate in an opposite direction when said slide is moved from its first position to its third position, said control member, when moved in said opposite direction causing said means connecting said second controllable member to said control member to move said second controllable member from its first position towards its second position.

2. A control mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said links cross one another, each link having a bearing member on the one end thereof, the bearing members being slideably received in elongate slots in said control member.

3. A control mechanism as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means connecting said first and second controllable members to said control member comprises first and second wires one end of each of which extends through a respective hole in said control member.

4. A control mechanism as set forth in claim 1 further including biasing means biasing said controllable members toward their first positions, said one link being moved to a releaseably locked position when said slide is moved to said second position wherein said first controllable member is held in its said second position against the bias of said biasing means.

5. A control mechanism as set forth in claim 4, said other link being moved to a releaseably locked position when said slide is moved to said third position, wherein said second controllable member is held in its said second position against the bias of said biasing means.

6. In an air-conditioning unit, a support, first and second passages, a first door for closing said first passage and a second door for closing said second passage, biasing means for biasing said doors toward closed positions, and control means for selectively opening said doors against the bias exerted by said biasing means, said control means including a control member rotatably connected to said support, means connecting said first and second doors to said rotatable control member, a slide mounted on said support for sliding movement in one direction between a first position and a second position and in another direction between said first position and a third position, and a pair of links extending between said slide and said control member, one of said links causing said control member to rotate in one direction when said slide is moved from its first position to its second position, said control member, when moved in said one direction, causing said means connecting said first door to said control member to move said first door from a closed position towards an open position, the other of said links causing said control member to rotate in an opposite direction when said slide is moved from its first position to its third position, said control member, when moved in said opposite direction causing said means connecting said second door to said control member to move said second door from a closed position towards an open position.

7. A control mechanism as set forth in claim 6 wherein said links cross one another, each link having a bearing member on one end thereof, the bearing members being slideably received in elongate slots in said control member. 

